1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child resistant safety caps and containers which require complex multiple step movement for operation.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following is representative of prior art patents relating to child resistant safety caps:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,307 to Bertram Elkind, describes a closure comprising, in combination, an internal cap having internal threads adapted to engage the threads of a container neck, an external cap coaxially circumjacent said internal cap and rotatable therearound; a circumferential pin-and-groove connection between said caps consisting of an annular groove in one cap and an engaging pin secured in the other cap; said one cap also having a plurality of grooves communicating with said annular groove, spaced around said annular groove, and slanted toward the top of the closure at an angle of less than 10.degree., one of said slanted grooves having an offset portion at its end into which said pin may be moved to provide interlocking between said caps; a first index on said internal cap; and a second index on the exterior of said external cap corresponding in shape to said one of said slanted grooves, registration of said indexes indicating that said pin is opposite said one slanted groove.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,085 to Peter P. Gach, describes a child-proof cap for medicine bottles or the like having an inner threaded closure member and an outer overcap or driver. The closure and driver have co-operating one-way driving means for screwing the closure onto the bottle which are engaged by pushing the driver down, and second co-operating driving means for unscrewing the closure which are engaged by pulling the driver upwardly and squeezing its walls inwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,805 to Paul A. Marchant, describes a safety closure for containers having a threaded neck, which closure includes an inner closure adapted to be threadably received on the container neck and an outer or overclosure covering, and normally freely rotatable on, the inner closure. The inner closure is provided with continuous engaging means around the lower portion of its skirt, which means are engageable by means provided on two downwardly projecting flexible tabs provided in the lower portion of the skirt of the overclosure. Application of pressure between the thumb and finger compresses the tabs of the outer closure to engage the inner closure, thereby permitting rotation of the locked inner and outer closures to remove the safety closure from the neck of the container. A second embodiment includes a plurality of integrally formed projections on both the top surface of the inner closure and on the bottom surface of the outer closure. The projections are adapted to engage to rotate the inner closure when the outer closure is rotated to attach the safety closure to the container and to disengage when the outer closure is rotated to detach the safety closure without pressing the tabs to lock the outer closure into engagement with the inner closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,182 to Walter L. Georgi, describes a safety closure for a container having an externally threaded neck. The closure includes an inner member that is internally threaded for application to the neck of the container, and an outer closure member fitted over the inner member and holding the inner member captive therein. The outer member fits loosely over the inner member so that the outer member is normally free for rotation relative to the inner member and is also free for limited telescopic movement over the inner member. Lugs are provided on the inner surface of the outer member, and recesses are formed in the outer surface of the inner member, so that when the outer member is lifted, pressed radially inwardly, and rotated the lugs mesh with the recesses to provide engagement between the inner and outer members so that the inner member can be removed from the container by continued rotation of the outer member. Thus, simultaneous application of lifting, radially inwardly compressive, and rotational forces to the outer member is required in order to remove the closure from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,335 to Clayton Bogert, describes the present invention provides a protective safety closure for containers. The safety closure comprises an inner and outer cap made of pliable material such as plastics, or the like. The inner cap has an internal threaded portion which can fit over the neck of any conventional container. At the base, the inner cap has an outwardly extending ledge. Below the ledge are a series of serrations or notches. The outer cap has an inwardly extending ledge provided on its inner perimeter with a series of serrations or notches. After the inner cap has been threaded on to the container, the outer cap is snapped thereover so that its ledge engages under the ledge protruding from the base of the inner cap. However, the serrations on the inner and outer cap do not meet and the outer cap may be freely rotated without in any way rotating the inner cap. Thus, a safety closure which may not be inadvertently opened, is accomplished. When it is desired to open the closure a slight flexing pressure applied to the base of the outer cap will cause the serrations or notches on both caps to inter-engage or mesh, whereupon the rotary movement of the outer cap will be transmitted to the inner cap and the inner cap may be thus removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,759 to John Kelley, describes a twist-type closure for bottles. The closure includes an inner member with a disk-like portion and a depending peripheral lip, which is adapted on the interior to match the particular closure provision of the bottle. Projecting upward from the disk portion is a neck terminating in a closed flange having, in one embodiment, a slightly greater diameter than the neck. An outer member generally surrounds, and is rotatable with respect to, the inner member. This outer member also has a disk-like portion and a depending peripheral lip. The outer member has a central opening to permit receiving the flange therethrough to assemble the closure. Between the disk portions of the inner and outer members is a biasing member to normally maintain these portions separated but allow movement toward each other when pressure is applied to the outer member. Also, between the inner and outer members are cooperating opening tabs which, when aligned and moved into engagement by pressure upon the outer member, permit the outer and inner members to be turned counter-clockwise in unison to effect the removal of the closure. Arrow indicia on the top surfaces of the outer and inner members indicate the proper alignment of the opening tabs. Cooperating closure tab means carried by the members effect the clock-wise turning of the components in unison to effect tightening of the closure. Optionally, numerals are equally spaced around the opening in the outer member to indicate the time of the next dosage of a medicine, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,931 to Do Le Minh, describes this invention provides a new and simple tamper-resistant, safety closure for a container having threaded neck. It requires the user to align the two arrows, then give it an upward lift while turning in the counterclockwise direction to unscrew it from the container. Features of the invention useful in accomplishing the above objects include an outer cap and an inner cap. The interior surface of the outer cap has a plurality of identical protrusions, call the type A protrusions, and one type B protrusion. The exterior surface of the inner cap has a plurality of identical grooves, called the type A grooves, and one type B groove. If the type B protrusion is lifted into the type B groove, then the two caps inter-lock and turning the outer cap in the counter-clockwise direction would also turn the inner cap in the same direction, resulting in the unscrewing of the closure from the container. On the other hand, if the type B protrusion is lifted into one of the type A grooves, then the outer cap will rotate without unscrewing the inner cap from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,130 to Jack Weinstein, describes the present invention involves a child resistant closure for containers with threaded necks. It involves a cylindrical inner and outer cap with engage with one another by ratchets to close the closure. These ratchets do not engage when an attempt is made to open the closure. The inner cap has threads on its inside and is adapted to non-removably receive the outer cap in that the outer cap is rotatably engaged therewith. The outer cap is non-removably but rotatably mounted on and engaged with the inner cap. At least two biased keyway slots are used and each may be located either on the outside of the inner cap or the inside of the outer cap. There are at least two biased keyway protrusions, one corresponding to each slot, and each protrusion extends toward its corresponding keyway slot. Each is located on which ever of the inner cap and outer cap does not contain the corresponding slot. There are indexes on each of the caps and when the they are aligned, the keyway protrusions and their corresponding keyway slots will be aligned. The user will align the indexes or indicia and then lift up so that the protrusions fit into their keyway slots. In this manner, the outer cap engages the inner cap so that they are simultaneously rotated for opening. Upon closure, the protrusion will be pushed or dropped out of the slot and the ratchets will engage for proper closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,583 to Jack Weinstein, describes the present invention involves a child resistant closure for containers with threaded necks. It involves an inner cap and an outer cap which engages with one another by ratchets in order to close but these ratchets do not engage when an attempt is made to open the closure. The inner cap and the outer cap are generally cylindrical and have sides and a top, although the outer cap may have an open top. The inner cap has threads on its inside and is adapted to non-removably receive the outer cap so that the outer cap is rotatably engaged therewith. The outer cap is non-removably but rotatably mounted on an engaged with the inner cap. At least one keyway slot is located either on the outside of the inner cap or the inside of the outer cap and there is at least one keyway protrusion extending toward the keyway slot and located on which ever of the inner cap and the outer cap does not contain the slot. There are indexes on each of the caps and when they are aligned, the keyway protrusion and the keyway slot will be aligned. The user will align the indexes or indicia and then lift up so that the protrusion fits into the keyway slot. In this manner, the outer cap engages the inner cap so that they are simultaneously rotated for opening. Upon closure, the protrusion will be pushed or dropped out of the slot and the ratchets will engage for proper closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,329 to Jack Weinstein, describes a child-resistant cap with independent open and close ratchet sets. It includes an inner cap having a top and side walls and having inside surfaces and outside surfaces and an open bottom, and structure for attachment to a container. It also has a flanged base extending outwardly from its side walls with the flanged base having one-way ratchet members thereon for engagement with an outer collar for locked rotation of an outer collar with the inner cap in a circular, first direction. It also has ratchets located on the outside surface of the top for engagement with an outer cap for rotation of an outer cap with the inner cap in a circular, second direction opposite from said first direction. There is an outer cap having a top and side walls and an open bottom and having inner surfaces and outer surfaces. It is rotatably attached to the inner cap and has ratchets on its inside surface of its top for engagement with the inner cap. There is also an outer collar rotatably mounted about the inner cap and the outer cap which has ratchets thereon for engagement with the ratchets located on the base flange of the inner cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,330 to Caetano Buono, describes a child-resistant cap and container including an inner and an outer skirt depending downwardly from the top wall of the cap. The inner skirt has an internally threaded surface for engagement with the externally threaded neck of the container. The outer skirt has a pair of longitudinal slots defined in the bottom portion of the outer skirt for forming a flexible tab therebetween. A tooth is radially spaced from the container neck for edgewise engagement with the tab when the cap is in its locked position. The locked cap can be removed from the container only by depressing the tab inwardly to clear the tooth as the cap is rotated in a retrograde or opening direction.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.